


The Only Exception

by SorayaLi



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dialogue Heavy, Domestic Fluff, Episode: s04e03 Upgrades, Episode: s04e05 Divide and Conquer, Episode: s04e10 Beneath the Surface, F/M, Happy Ending, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:08:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29421366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorayaLi/pseuds/SorayaLi
Summary: After the events of "Upgrades,"  "Divide and Conquer," and "Beneath the Surface," Jack and Sam have to deal with caring more about each other than they are supposed to.  Gen. Hammond may have an  answer for them.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17
Collections: Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-21





	The Only Exception

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters. The title of this fanfic is inspired by Paramore's song "The Only Exception." This is a giftfic for Gwenhwyfar1984 . I hope you like it! This is somewhat AU as it departs from canon pretty quickly. Also, there are mentions of Sam and Jack going fishing. :-)

_Jonah kissed Thera passionately as they lay on the tiny bed buried several miles underground._

Sam jerked awake from her dream, which was really yet another memory of what had occurred on the ice-ridden planet P3R-118, where she had been forced to work underground. However, her return to consciousness did not stop a blush from burning a path from her neck to cover her entire face. What was even worse was when Brenna had let it slip in front of Gen. Hammond, Dr. Fraiser, and Jack that Jonah and Thera were married, or rather those were the memories that she and Jack had been given. 

The whole Za'tarc incident and experiment with the armbands had happened not long before that. If Sam wanted to avoid being court-martialed for breaking the fraternization regulations, she probably needed to ask Gen. Hammond for a reassignment, sooner rather than later. There was no way Col. O'Neill was going to bring it up or even let her go easily, but it was clearly becoming a problem.

She had figured out that she cared about Jack a lot more than one should for one’s superior officer when they had been stuck near the broken gate in Antarctica. Her epiphany that she was in love with Jack came shortly after he complained about her lack of skills when attempting to splint his broken leg. Sam wondered why her brain, which allowed her to come up with some last-minute creative solution to save lives, loved to drop emotional bombshells at the most inconvenient times. 

When Sam was in her laboratory later that day, Gen. Hammond had asked to speak with her. When she entered his office, she saw Jack leaning back in a chair facing Gen. Hammond’s desk. As Sam sat down, she wondered if this was what it felt like being called into the principal's office. She had never had that experience before. Well, her dad was going to be extremely disappointed in her. The brief period of her life when she felt that her dad was proud of her for once was quickly coming to an end. She did not know what he would say. Probably something about how she should have become an astronaut. Her day was going just “peachy,” as Col. O'Neill would say. She pulled herself from her thoughts as she saw Gen. Hammond's solemn expression. 

"Col. O’Neill and Major Carter, I’m just going to come right out and say it," Gen. Hammond said. “I asked the president to make an exception to the fraternization regulations for both of you with the caveat that you will both not let your personal lives affect your work at the SGC. I've decided to ask this because, frankly, you both have risked your lives for this planet multiple times and deserve to be happy. We also need you both on SG-1. I'm just sorry it took this long.”

For once, Sam was speechless. Her blue eyes widened until they resembled the shimmering surface of the stargate.

Luckily, Jack spoke first after glancing quickly at Sam's shocked expression,

"Sir, both Major Carter and I are surprised and are truly grateful. Now, don't get me wrong, but the president actually okayed this?" Jack's brown eyes widened to match Sam's.

"Jack and Sam," Gen. Hammond rarely used Sam's first name, so that made her sit up straight, "I did get the president to approve this exception. Believe it or not, I have some personal experience with the fraternization regulations. My youngest daughter fell in love with her subordinate when she was serving in the U.S. Navy. He returned her affections, but because of the fraternization regulations they couldn't be together. They both decided to become civilians, so they could get married. I love being able to see them and my grandchildren often since they are not stationed out on a ship anymore, but I've always wondered what could have been if someone had gotten the president to make an exception for them. I know they are happy together, but I know that it is not the same."

“Sir, Gen. Hammond, thank you,” Sam managed to get out. 

“Major, I should have done this a long time ago. Now, I’m ordering SG-1 to take five days off. That should give you and Col. O’Neill time to have a private discussion about what you want to do next. Now, I assured the president that I could count on both of you to display discretion and professionalism. I told him that having this out in the open will allow you both to focus on doing your jobs better. Only certain people, including Dr. Fraiser, Master Sergeant Harriman, the president, the members of SG-1, and other individuals will be privy to the information that you and Col. O’Neill have been granted this exception. Major, you can tell your father and brother. Those who have already been notified understand that it is of utmost importance that they keep this information confidential to the fullest extent possible, so I would appreciate it Major, if you impart this to your father and brother.”

“Yes, sir, I will,” Sam said, trying to keep her voice level.

“We both cannot thank you enough, Sir,” Jack said sincerely.

“You’re very welcome, Col., and Major! Now, you are both dismissed,” Gen. Hammond said.

As Sam and Jack walked out of Gen. Hammond’s office, Jack pulled her into his office, much to Sam’s surprise.

Once the door was closed and Sam was seated in the chair across from Col. O’Neill’s desk, Jack spoke,

“Carter, I want you to know that even after what Gen. Hammond said, we can still choose to leave it in the room, if you want. I certainly won’t hold it against you, and I promise I won’t treat you any differently. I just want to know what you want to do.”

Sam paused for a moment, as she was taken aback. Jack’s thoughtfulness continued to amaze her and made her love him even more, which was apparently possible. 

“Well, sir, if you are okay with taking full advantage of the exception Gen. Hammond has gotten for us, I, well...” Sam had to grab a tissue from Col. O’Neill’s desk, as she felt tears of happiness start sliding down her cheeks. Jack patiently waited for Sam to finish dabbing at her eyes. “I’m all for it, sir. I was actually thinking of asking to be reassigned after what happened on the ice planet.”

“Sam,” Jack said, and paused as he got used to calling her by her first name, “I’m glad we’re on the same page, but you do realize that means you can call me “Jack” when we’re alone or off-duty, right?” Jack smiled one of his smirks that usually accompanied one of his sarcastic comments. 

“Yes, uh, Jack, but it will take me a while to get used to it,” Sam said.

“Hey, Sam, same here. So, do you want to go fishing with me?” Jack asked.

“Well, I was going to work on looking at one of the artifacts that SG-2 brought back from-” Sam stopped because she could not help bursting into giggles. “Of course, I’ll go fishing with you! I was just kidding.”

“Sam, I have to admit, you had me there for a minute. Ok, why don’t you pack up, and I’ll pick you up from your house in a couple of hours?” Jack asked.

“That works,” Sam said, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Good, see you soon!” Jack said.

After Sam went home, she changed to a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans before she started sifting through all her clothes. She had no idea what she should bring to wear. Maybe she should bring some dress clothes in case there were some fancy restaurants Jack wanted to bring her to in town. She threw in a couple of skirts, blouses, and dresses. She also threw in a couple of toiletries and other items in a duffel bag, grabbed her backpack, which she kept packed for last-minute trips, and her purse. 

When Jack pulled up in his pick-up truck, Sam was ready to go. Sam opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. 

“So,” Jack asked before they started off, “you have everything you need?” 

“Yes, thanks, sir, I mean, Jack,” Sam said. “I just can’t believe Gen. Hammond got the president to permit us to break the fraternization regs! I mean, it almost seems too good to be true, like we’re in a version of the Gamekeeper’s game again, or some kind of alternate reality-not that I haven’t wanted this since Antarctica…” Sam was starting to babble, like when she was trying to explain a complex scientific theory to Jack. 

Jack decided to say something to put her out of misery, “Hey, listen, Carter, I mean, Sam, I know. We’ve seen a lot of crazy stuff with the stargate, but yeah, basically, I’m not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth, ya know?” 

“Yeah, no, you’re right. I’m sorry, I just-that’s just the way my brain works. Do you think we can still be friends and work together if this doesn’t work out?” Sam asked, hesitantly.

“Yeah, I mean, hopefully, don’t you?” Jack asked. 

“Yeah. I don’t think we should put a lot of pressure on this working out because the president gave us special permission and I’ve cared about you more than I was supposed to for years,” Sam said breathlessly.

“Yeah. Wait, a second, you said, you had feelings for me since we almost froze to death in Antarctica? I’ve had feelings for you since you wore that blue headdress on that planet, where you won that knife fight. It’s not a contest or anything though,” Jack said, hurriedly. “Anyways, we better get going if we want to make it to a rest stop in time for dinner.”

“Yeah, ok,” Sam said, with a faraway look in her eyes. _He’s had feelings for me all this time? Holy Hannah!_

The next hour or so was silent as both Jack and Sam were processing their thoughts. They stopped at a diner and sat down in a booth. Sam was not hungry though. She avoided making eye contact with Jack as she stared at the menu and finally settled on macaroni and cheese. Jack ordered some kind of pasta dish.

“Did you always want to be a theoretical astrophysicist and U.S. Air Force pilot, Sam?” Jack said, while they waited for their food.

“Well, I used to want to be an astronaut,” Sam said. “My dad, before he knew about the deep space telemetry thing, called in favors and was trying to help me fulfill that dream. Holy Hannah! How am I going to tell him? He and Gen. Hammond have been friends for a long time. Gen. Hammond’s actually my godfather, but he tries not to show any favoritism to me. In fact, not many people know that he’s my godfather.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t know until now. Sam, that’s, wow! Hey, if George is friends with your dad then I’m sure he can back you up, if your dad gets upset. Ok, anything else I don’t know about you?” Jack asked.

“Um, I own a motorcycle. I love Star Wars,” Sam offered. “How about you?”

“Ooh, you ride? Cool! I love Star Wars _, too,_ ” Jack said. “Why don’t we watch the original trilogy in the cabin? I have a DVD player at the cabin, and I brought the DVDs with me.”

Sam’s eyes lit up and she said, “Ok, that sounds fun!” The waitress approached with their food, and they ate in awkward silence again. Jack paid for both of their meals, and they got back on the open road.

A short time later Sam said,

“So, Teal’c said that you don’t actually have any fish in your lake. Is that true?” 

“Sam,” Jack said, “that may not be untrue, but I have board games we can play, you do like board games, right?” 

“Yes, but do you need help fixing anything?” Sam asked. “I mean, I like to fix things in my free time.”

“Well, I’m sure I could find something. I used to go there a lot with Sara and Charlie before he died,” Jack said.

“I’m sorry, Jack,” Sam said.

“Thanks,” Jack said. “so, I’ll give you a tour of the place, and there’s an extra bedroom, too. I did the laundry since Teal’c stayed there last, so it should have new sheets and all.” 

“Ok,” Sam said. Jack was being a gentleman again and not assuming anything. She wished she had the nerve to ask him to give her a personal tour of his bedroom. She saw the way he looked at her when they had downtime on missions. She had never been one of those women who seemed to know how to seduce a man. At first, she was surprised that Jack was attracted to her when she was wearing her BDUs or was at her geekiest, trying to explain some abstract scientific concept to him. Then she realized that Jack respected her intelligence and combat skills. In fact, he seemed to be more attracted to her when she was trying to explain the science of something to him.

On the second day of the road trip, Sam looked at Jack for a long time before saying something.

“You know, with the whole Za’tarc thing? I should have never asked you or forced us to keep it in the room. I mean, that clearly didn’t work. But, when I thought I was Thera, and you were my husband, I couldn’t have been happier,” Sam said. “I’ve been thinking about everything a lot. Sometimes I still have dreams about our lives as Thera and Jonah.”

“No, you were only trying to keep things professional, and I respected and respect that. Sam, I still have dreams, too, about us doing married stuff, I mean,” Jack said. 

“Oh,” Sam’s eyes widened in realization. “Well, now we can, I mean if we want to. It’s an option now, I mean.” Sam started blushing and really wished that Thor would just beam her out of this increasingly awkward moment.

“Sure, why don’t we just uh, get to the cabin, and go fishing?” Jack asked. 

After they arrived at the cabin and unloaded all their luggage, Jack gave Sam a tour. He showed her the Star Wars sheets on the bed in the spare bedroom, and she laughed. Then he casually showed her his bedroom. They both stood very still in the doorway. Suddenly, she realized how close they were standing next to each other. Jack’s eyes locked with hers, and he gently raised her chin and kissed her on the lips. Sam deepened the kiss, and it was better than her memories of them kissing as Thera and Jonah. Jack wrapped his arms around Sam, and she accidentally touched his butt, when she tried to wrap her arms around him. She broke away and started giggling. 

“Sam?” Jack asked puzzled. 

“Sorry, I was aiming for higher,” Sam explained.

“Well, I kinda liked it,” Jack said, smiling. “Are you ok with…”

“Doing married stuff?” Sam grinned. “Yeah! How about you?”

“Yeah,” Jack kissed Sam on the lips. He gently maneuvered them until they were lying on the bed.

When Sam awoke a couple of hours later, she smiled. There was something freeing for Sam, in being able to love Jack without fearing that they would be court-martialed. 

“Sam, are you okay?” Jack woke up when he realized that Sam had left the bed and was looking out the window at Jack’s pond.

“Yeah, I just never thought we’d get this chance,” Sam said as she turned her gaze from the window towards Jack, whose head was propped up on the pillow.

“What, to go fishing together?” Jack joked.

“Yeah, for the rest of our lives,” Sam said, and she surprised them both by sitting down on the bed and kissing Jack with all the passion she felt. Jack returned her kiss with equal fervor. Sam was really enjoying this fishing trip that had not yet involved catching any real fish. 


End file.
